History of Iree,osun state.Nigeria

Iree (also Ire or Iree Alalubosa) is a Yoruba town in the north-eastern part of Osun State, Nigeria, West Africa. Its geographical coordinates are 7.55 North and 4.43 East. Iree is one of the major towns in the Boripe Local Government Area of Osun State. It is located on the Osogbo-Illa-Orangun road, about 30 km from Osogbo and 8 kilometers from Ikirun. It is surrounded by the following towns: Ikirun, Iba, Eripa, Ada, Aagba, Ororuwo, and Iragbiji. Iree and many other towns in the same region have their names beginning with the letter 'I' and so, are usually described as being located in the 'I' District. Such towns include Ikirun, Iba, Illa-Orangun, Inisa, Iragbiji, Iresi, Itake and Imoleke. Iree is also situated in a valley amidst seven prominent hills which, in the past, have served as natural fortresses in times of war — primarily during the Yoruba civil wars of the nineteenth century and most especially, from hostile neighboring communities. The seven hills are: Eru Hill, Ilako Hill, Ipole Hill, Adanimole Hill, Aganna Hill, Apo Hill, and Maye Hill. The 7-hill topography of the town makes it a beautiful attraction to tourists and the warm hospitality of its people makes a visit to Iree a pleasantly memorable experience that brings tourists back there time and again.

Iree was founded by Arolu, an immigrant from Ipee, a town near Offa in Kwara State. He had first settled on Ipole Hill. Soon, many people joined him and the town quickly developed into a big settlement. The earliest people were farmers. The nearby location where they found most suitable for their farming and hunting later became Eripa town because Lakadi, the founder of Eripa not only joined them at that hunting location but also settled permanently there at Eripa. The kolanut and palm trees the Iree people planted in Eripa in succeeding years remain there till today as heritage to their descendants. Aided by four perennial streams that supply water needed for irrigation, the town soon became very popular for three commodities - black-eyed peas, vegetables and leafy onions. Because Iree produced the leafy onions in commercial quantities, the town soon became known around its vicinity as "Iree Alalubosa" (i.e. Iree, the land of leafy onions). Amongst Iree's four perennial streams, River Egudu was the town's greatest asset because of its constant supply of water all year round. It then became a rest area, even for travellers. That is why Iree descendants today are poetically praised as "Omo Larooye, omo Arolu, omo Akoisa - Legudu, Ayabu-ero, meaning, "Child of Larooye, and of Arolu, and of Akoisa, who abide by the Egudu river, a free source of refreshing drink for passers-by". The Egudu River is near the present site of Iree Baptist High School. Hunting was also one of the commonest activities the earliest Iree settlers engaged in and many important places in Iree today got their names from the celebration of heroic deeds of Iree's first hunters. For example, using the jagged spear (Asa) which was their commonest hunting weapon, Arolu, the founder of the town, at a nearby river killed an elephant. Thus the river was named Odo Asa (Asa River). The hill where Arolu's hunting bag was usually hung was named Oke Apo (the bag hill). The actual tree on that hill on which Arolu hung his hunting bag was an Ire tree. So, Iree was named after that tree. Similarly, the place where Arolu's associates killed their first elephant was named Ibiti a ti ri erin pa (i.e. the place where we killed an elephant). Later, it was shortened to –"A r'erinpa", then "Erinpa" and finally, Eripa. Eripa town shares an indisputable closeness with Iree town up till today. The founding and establishment of Iree was the handiwork of three brothers, namely: Larooye, Arolu and Oyekun. This trio has over the years become known in Iree's oral tradition as "the three great brothers". Arolu was the first to settle at the location that became Iree today. Arolu was an immigrant from Ipee, and a son of the Onipe. His other brothers were Larooye, Oyekun, Akoisa and Olaolu. The Onipe himself had migrated from Oyo with fanfare. The Alaafin (King) of Oyo offered Onipe the position of a provincial Oba (king) at the Ekunosi sector of his domain which was around Offa, a town in Kwara State. He was invested with the "Ejigba" Opa-Ileke or beaded staff and other royal insignia. At Ipee, the Onipe was blessed with many children. One of them, the then Prince Arolu, was befallen by one misfortune after another. Some of his wives did not conceive while the others bore infants who died soon after birth. So he decided to leave Ipee and seek his fortune elsewhere. The oracle he consulted before leaving Ipee had advised him to move towards the Ibolo provincial area of the Alaafin's domain and stop on a hill he would reach after he must have crossed seven thick forests. When he left Ipee, he left with all the rights and privileges of a crowned Oba (king). When he got as far as Offa, he and his entourage stayed a short while with his friend, Ogungbiji Oyerinle, who tried but failed in persuading him to stay permanently in Offa. After he had moved on, he got to Ipole Hill, where he became convinced that it was the chosen place for his settlement. There, he built a shelter and made his living. Thus the town of Iree was born. Today, the descendants of Iree are referred to as Ara Ori-lpole

History of Awe,Oyo State

Aweland is a vast expanse of land part of which had earlier been occupied by a group headed by ladun who is an ijesha man that setteled at Olaromi by the 13th century. Prominence was not given to the history of the settlement until when a more dynamic group came to settle in the area in the 17th century headed by Ilemolu Olutokun, Ladokun, Ikumawoyi and Mafile. They were Ife princes who had moved out of Ile Ife after some misunderstanding on crown distribution. They settled at Egba Gbagura for some period, ruled under the kingship of Ilemolu who led his junior princes out of the town again because of some injustice. They then decided to come back towards Ife snd got to the area where ladun and the other have settled.

They moved farther afield and got to the place where Ifa told them to settle, that is, beside an Aruwewe tree from where the name Awe had derived. Later they persuaded the other group come over and take shelter in the Awe kingdom. Thus Ladokun, the second in command was made the Alaawe because Ilemolu who had reigned before decided to concede as a result of old age thus acting as the father of all. Ikumawoyi was made to assist and understudy Ladokun in the palace. By 1750, Ladokun had been firmly established on the thorne and in command of all the areas now known as Aweland.

After they had settled down, they decided to invite Ladun (the Ijesaman) together with his group to move down to Awe for maximum protection, and possibly in order to make sure that there is also maximum co-operation in the area.

Awe as a town was organised by Alaawe Oladokun I who can be regarded as the first Alaawe of the organised Awe. He appointed the Chiefs, built the town wall known as Odi Amola/Odi Amolu and organised the town into four quarters after the important chiefs in the town viz Oke Abata, Baasi, Alaawe and Odofin quarters.

It could be seen that Awe people had settled in this area by the 16th century, i.e. two century, i.e. two centuries before Oja (Who later became Ashipa of Oyo) arrived in 1792. As the first set of settlers were law abiding the then Alaawe, Beyioku, accommodated them at Awe and later resettled them near the Ogun shrine and farm which belonged to Awe prince, Fakanbi, Alias "AWUYA". This is the area now called Ashipa area of Isale-Oyo. Atiba later came in around 1830 perhaps having learnt that Oja while in OBATE his father-in-law secured a friendly place for settlement, and hunted by the atmosphere of the pressures mounted by the Fulani calvary. He too was granted refuge, first accommodated at Asoju Compound Awe before being transferred to Alagbaa compound. When their number swelled and control became more difficult, due to their anti social activities they were sent outside the walled city of Awe. Oja's initial Settlement was originally known as "Ago Oja" that is, Oja's tent. As time went on it became Ago d'Oyo and finally Oyo. This settlement of Oja in this area, which also gave him advantrage of land acquisition, has been the age-long source of difference between the Alaafin and Ashipa.

Thus it can be seen that there is no way the Oyo people through the Alaafin can claim to be landlord over OJa talk less of Awe from the fact of history and there cannot be a master-servant relationship. This position had been supported by all legal battles (court cases) on landed property between Awe and Oyo and also supported by the most acknowledged History of Yorubas by Revd Samuel Johnson.

The Awe side of the Ibadan-Oyo-Obgomoso road and beyond Odi Amola/Odi Amonu to Iwo boundary was not ceded to Oja/Oyo people. However, they were allowed to farm on part of this extensive land. The Oyo people were therefore tenants on Aweland and it is unfortunate that these tenants, with the death of original Awe ancestors, are now arrogating to themselves unimaginable rights and calling their settlements enclaves or homesteads forgetting that their original homestead is Oyo-Ile near Igboho.

Yoruba deities

The following is a list of Yoruba deities

Supreme being

Olòrún - the supreme creator deity
OrishasEdit

Aganju - Orisha of volcanoes, the wilderness and rivers
Aja - Orisha of the forest, the animals within it, and herbal healing
Ayao - Orisha of air
Babalu Aye - Orisha of the Earth and strongly associated with infectious disease (particularly smallpox, leprosy and AIDS) and healing
Egungun-oya - Orisha of divination
Erinle - Orisha of medicine, healing, and comfort, physician to the gods
Eshu - trickster, psychopomp and Orisha of crossroads, duality, beginnings, travelers, fertility and death
Kokou - a violent warrior Orisha
Oba - first wife of Shango and Orisha of domesticity and marriage
Obatala - creator of human bodies; Orisha of light, spiritual purity, and moral uprightness
Ogoun - Orisha who presides over fire, iron, hunting, politics and war
Olokun - patron Orisha of the descendants of Africans who were carried away during the Atlantic Slave Trade or Middle Passage
Oshun - Orisha who presides over love, intimacy, beauty, wealth and diplomacy
Oshunmare - divine rainbow serpent associated with creation and procreation
Oxossi - Orisha of the hunt and forest
Oya - Orisha of the Niger River; associated with wind, lightning, fertility, fire, and magic
Sopona - Orisha of smallpox
Shango - Orisha of thunder and lightning
Yemaja - a mother goddess; patron deity of women, and the Ogun river
Irunmole
Orunmila - spirit of wisdom, divination, destiny, and foresight.

Yoruba tribal mark

Yoruba physical appearance which is fast disappearing because of the extant laws, and international campaign, is the tribal marks. Tribal or facial mark- is a specific mark, which comes in different shapes and sizes, commonly found on the face. There are various tribal marks, by different ethnic groups within Yoruba nation. The Ijeṣa people are known by "pele."
Pele, is a-four-horizontal-line; a-quarter-of-an-inch-long made on the cheeks on both sides of the mouth. The Ondo natives of (Ondo State) are identified by half-an-inch-vertical lines on both sides of the nose down to the mouth (marks are thick and long). Other Yoruba ethnic groups have different types of facial marks; Ogbomoso natives of (Oyo State) are identified by multiple straight and curved lines (Gombo) on both sides of the face. Other sub-groups within Yoruba nation have only curved lines on both sides of their face. Even, a particular mark, may have varieties among neighbors; for instance, Pele has about three versions: Pele Ijesa (discussed) Pele Ekiti (quarter-of-an-inch-horizontal-line) and Pele Akoko (about the same length, but comes in either vertical or horizontal format); the style will depends on Akoko by Ekiti, Bini and Okun neighbors. The purpose of facial marks in the past was to identify each group within Yoruba nation, to beautify, and to identify slaves. Because of the health implications and several abuses, it has become an outlaw practice in Nigeria.
Yoruba has the following tribal marks
Abaja
Kẹkẹ or Gọmbọ
Ture
Pele
Mande
Jamgbadi

Yoruba given name

The Yoruba names can the nominal or sentential and the names has been classified into three: Given Names( Oruko Amutorunwa), Ascribed Names (Oruko Abiso), and Pet Names (Oriki). Also, some names are formed  from Yoruba proverbs.

Given Names(Oruko Amutorunwa) are nominal in form, so are some place names. Examples:
Ojo----------A male child that has his umbilical cord tied around his neck at birth.
Ajayi--------A child born with face turned downwards
Talabi-------A child born with the head and body covered with Caul like a masquerade
Oni---------A baby whose incessant cry at birth suggest that he/she is in distress
Ige --------A baby thta came out of the womb with feet first
Aina------Is the female of Ojo(of the two names, Ijebu tribe uses Aina,it is proverbial that (Ijebu Kii je Ojo),"Ijebus never bear the name Ojo."
Dada-----Children with knotted hair or dreads
Ilori------Conceived after a previous birth,before resumption of mensturation
Oke-----A child rapped in a thin membrane at birth, The Amniofil sac
Taiwo----The first to arrive of a twin
Kehinde---The last to arrive of a twin
Eta Oko---Triplet
Idowu-----A child born after a set of twins
Alaba------A child born after Idowu
Olugbodi----A child born with a the sixth finger
Erinle--------A child born with an umbilical cord around his wrist

Gangan (The Talking Drum)

It is a Yoruba socio-cultural way of life to celebrate life as against celebration of death as witnessed in some societies. No wonder Fredrick Lugard in 1912, described the Yorubas as bunch of merry-making tribe along the coast of West Africa.

In other to add flavour to their ceremonies and festivals, they invented Gangan and some other musical instruments but what makes Gangan a spectacular drum is that, it is fashioned to mimic human speech.

Mimicking is done by varying the tension on the cords that connect the opposing drumheads. It is designed to have a pitch-resonating chamber inside. The waist of the drum is held between the drummer's arm and ribs, so that when squeezed, the drumhead is tightened, giving out a higher note than when in its relaxed state. The pitch can be changed during a single beat, producing a melodic note and the drum can thus capture the pitch, volume, and rhythm of human speech.

Gangan is used for various purposes in different ceremonies, festivals, praise singing, proverbial sayings, keeping of historical records, memories, communication and also as signs and secret communications during hostilities.

In a musical group, Gangan is mostly handled by an old experienced drummer as he/she dictates the tempo and direction of the general beat. He also has the obligation to remind the singer of certain things and in many cases, it communicates with the dancers as well. Therefore, anytime gangan is involved, people are not only charged by the beat but also emotionally carried away by the messages it passes.

Drumming is a profession in the ancient Yoruba communities and gangan expertise (Ayan) are found in some families going by their heritage. Some Yoruba names today still suggest their roots are from drumming family, such as Ayangalu, Ayansola, Ayandiran and the likes.

History of olufi of gbongan

Abiodun Adegoriolu the Alafin of Oyo, who reigned between C1750 – 1789 was the father of Olufi.

Olufi migrated from Oyo with a large followers consequent upon the unrest that attended the death of Alaafin Abiodun in 1789. One tradition states that Olufi contested the throne of Oyo and lost. He then had to leave Oyo as tradition demanded. Another associates the migration of Olufi from Oyo with the general unrest that characterised the politics in Oyo after the demise of Alaafin Abiodun. This made Oyo metropolis not safe for peaceful existence, hence many citizens of Oyo followed Olufi as he migrated from Oyo.

It is relevant here to stress that Olufi probably left Oyo after 1789. He took Igbori route. His entourage stayed there for some time. They then moved to Soungbe before they finally settled in Gbongan Ile.
All these places are mentioned in the Oriki Olufi, the important things that happened to Olufi and his entourage are also recited in the Oriki. The Olufi carried along from Oyo a beaded crown which made his followers recognise him not only as an Oyo prince but as an Oba in his own right.

The unrest that precipitated the fall of Old Oyo empire also affected the stability of many towns in the savannah region of the empire. There emerged soldiers of fortune who started to carve for themselves areas of jurisdiction. They had to fight their weak neighbours to establish their own domains, and in order to survive dis-establish Oyo towns. They, the soldiers of fortune, infact made it possible for the Fulani to penetrate and to destroy many Oyo towns.
The resultant effect was the drift in population from the savannah region of the old Oyo empire to the forested region of the south, where the horses of the marauders could not easily penetrate. This was how many Oyo towns were either destroyed or deserted and many moved towards Ife forest.

Many settled with the Olufi in Gbongan and others in Origbo. Those who settled among the people of Ife later founded Modakeke.
The fall of Owu in 1821 made many people from Owu to settle in Gbongan. Some people chose to settle in Gbongan from their Origbo base. Gbongan, therefore, started to grow as a result of influx of people from many quarters.

The prevailing peace in Gbongan was however not to last long. There was a fresh wave of marauding activities in places that were regarded as safe. In C1823, after the Fulani defeat of Afonja in Ilorin, Muslim marauders from llorin and Iwo attacked Gbongan Ile, Ikire Ile and Ipetumodu. The towns were deserted and the people sought refuge in Ile-Ife.

In about C1825, the people of Gbongan decided to rebuild Gbongan, but the people chose a new site rather than the old site which was at the fringe of the savannah. A site that was in the heart of the forest was, therefore, chosen. This is why at the present location, we have such locations as Owo Ope, Oke Egan, Oke Apo and Oke Apata. There is also the network of streams like Oyunlola, Akinjole, Alaanu and Oleyo which serve as sources of water supply to the town.

The present Gbongan could, therefore be said to be founded around C1825, at a time when there was a renewed influx of people from the crumbling Oyo empire. The fact that Gbongan was headed by an Oba attracted many people to settle there, and the fact that the town had moved to a truly forested region made people to feel secure. By the middle of the 19th Century, Gbongan had become one of the biggest towns in this region.

OLUFI BECAME A BAALE
Ibadan imperial drive to Ijesa and Ekiti countries from 1850s affected Gbongan in a number of ways. Gbongan was not conquered by Ibadan. Gbongan was only invited as a junior ally to help in the prosecution of Ibadan wars. This was how Gbongan was involved, and took active parts in Ijesa, Ekiti, Akoko campaigns to the seventeen year of Ekiti Parapo war. Gbongan fought as an ally of Ibadan in the Modakeke war of 1881-86, and this was why almost all Modakeke moved en-masse to settle in Gbongan on March 27 1909 before Ode Omu was founded in 1910 for those Modakeke who chose to settle in a separate town.

The implication of this was that the history of Gbongan during the period of Ibadan imperial drive was ultimately tied with that of Ibadan who had a Baale as ruler of Ibadan. In effect, the rulers of those towns which were junior partners of Ibadan were regarded as Baale. This was not peculiar to Gbongan town. Ikire, Apomu, and Ipetumodu were so treated. Olufi therefore resorted to wearing his crown annually during the Orisa Akire Festive